St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 June 2026

Pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School benefit from a caring environment. They enjoy school and have warm, meaningful relationships with staff and each other. Leaders have implemented a culture of 'love' and 'harmony'. Pupils have a strong sense of belonging. They feel safe and are confident that adults will support them with any concerns they may have. Pupils say that if any bullying takes place, it is addressed swiftly. Staff provide effective pastoral support for pupils and their families if it is needed. Long-standing low attendance and continuous persistent absence mean that some pupils miss too much learning. Over time, published outcomes show that pupils in key stage 2 have not been well prepared for the next stage of their education. Many pupils do not secure the essential knowledge they need to be successful in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because of variability in teaching across the school. Pupils generally behave well in lessons. However, some pupils do not listen to adults as well as they should, including in the early years. This leads to low-level disruption that hinders the progress of some lessons. Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs accurately identified. However, the support for these pupils varies. Too often, pupils with SEND do not receive effectively adapted learning to meet their specific needs, which hampers their progress. Leaders have identified these weaknesses, but it is too early to see any discernible impact of their work to address them. Pupils benefit from an extensive programme of residential trips and extra-curricular activities. There is a strong emphasis on ensuring that pupils are ready for life in modern Britain. Leaders go above and beyond to ensure that no pupil misses out. Pupils enjoy the many leadership and enrichment opportunities they have.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should take swift action to improve the quality and consistency of teaching across the school, ensuring that effective teaching supports all pupils to secure the key knowledge they need to be successful in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers throughout the school use assessment information effectively to check pupils' understanding and adapt their teaching accordingly, so that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop the knowledge they need to be successful across the curriculum.
• Leaders need to ensure that all staff share the same high expectations by ensuring that all pupils demonstrate positive behaviour during lessons, so that no learning time is wasted.
• Leaders should continue their work to improve pupils’ attendance and reduce rates of persistent absence, so that all pupils, including those who have SEND and those who are disadvantaged, benefit from regular attendance.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)